Background e-IRG is a strategic body to facilitate integration in the area of European e-infrastructures and connected services, within and between member states, at the European level and globally. e-IRG is composed of representatives from European member states, associated countries and the European Commission. The mission of e-IRG is to support coherent, innovative and strategic European e-infrastructure policy making and the development of convergent and sustainable e-infrastructure services.

The e-IRG 2013 White Paper describes the vision of the e-infrastructure Commons: working towards integrated services via interoperable e-infrastructures. This vision has been picked up quite broadly. Thus this vision contributes to the realization of Open Science and related notions (such as open access, open data, open science cloud, collaborative data infrastructure).

The 2013 White Paper contains many recommendations to the various actor groups: